


Nailed It

by predilection



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: Gen, IKEA Furniture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 18:07:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8112211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/predilection/pseuds/predilection
Summary: Riley and Koda are tasked with building new shelves for the base. Things don't go as planned when Riley discovers that he hates IKEA and that Koda doesn't quite understand what shelves are.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sparky_Young_Upstart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparky_Young_Upstart/gifts).



> For Sparky_Young_Upstart who requested the prompts "Koda" + "nailed it" on tumblr.
> 
> The phrase "nailed it" always makes me think of sarcastic memes where the words "nailed it" are written across an image of something that doesn't meet expectations. My challenge to myself was to come up with a way to convey this meaning without making fun of Koda in the process. I hope you like what I came up with!

Riley rolled up his sleeves as he and Koda began unpacking one of the four boxes they had picked up at IKEA. 

Ms. Morgan had tasked them with putting together some new shelving units for the command center. It seemed like an easy enough task, at least at first. Koda pulled all the required parts out of the box as Riley puzzled through the assembly instructions. 

They got the frame together before they hit their first roadblock.

"Wait," Riley said, squinting at the instructions. "I think we were supposed to put the shelves in before we started with the second side piece."

Koda helped him take apart what they had built so far so that they could start from scratch.

They hit their second roadblock a half-hour later. 

"Did we lose a screw?" Riley asked. "We're supposed to have sixteen of them, but there are only fifteen here."

"Uh," Koda said, scratching his head. "Not sure." They looked under the pieces of the incomplete shelving unit and checked inside the box the pieces came in. Eventually Koda found the screw where it had rolled under a nearby crate.

It was when they hit their third roadblock that Riley started to feel frustrated. 

"The instructions _clearly_ say we're supposed to add the back piece last," he exclaimed, jabbing his finger at the paper in his hands. "But there's no way to attach it after the side pieces are on. That means we have to take it apart. _Again_."

Koda frowned. "Riley upset."

Riley realized how riled up he was getting and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Sorry," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I just didn't expect building these shelves to take this long or be so complicated."

"Reminds me that I have questions," Koda said. "What shelves? What they do?" The questions were so unexpected that they distracted Riley from his aggravation. Koda clearly knew what shelves were -- he interacted with them every day -- but Riley hadn't known that Koda wasn't familiar with what they were called. 

"I'm sorry, Koda. They're..." Riley turned towards another shelving unit in their base and pointed to it. "Those are shelves. Ms. Morgan wants more of them to store our incomplete dino chargers, as well as other important things."

"Oh! So shelves... are like that and store important things?" Koda asked.

"Yep. And these will too," Riley said and then glared at the instructions in his hands. "If we can ever figure out how to put them together."

Two hours later, they had partially assembled and taken apart the same shelving unit four more times, so Riley was grateful when Ms. Morgan called him over to her workbench to test out a new dino charger she was making for him. He became so engrossed in Ms. Morgan's explanation about energy outputs, he forgot all about his dislike of Swedish furniture manufactures. So when Koda came over to them an hour later and announced, "I finish shelves", Riley was startled.

"You finished the shelves?" he repeated. 

Koda grinned at them, triumphant. "Come see!"

Riley exchanged a look with Ms. Morgan, who raised a skeptical eyebrow in his direction.

"You left Koda to finish the shelves by himself?" she asked him quietly.

Riley shrugged. "We weren't making much progress earlier. Whatever he's put together, it has to be better than what we came up with before."

Riley and Ms. Morgan followed Koda, and as they got closer where he and Koda had been working earlier, it was immediately clear that the structure in front of them wasn't a shelving unit. If anything, it looked like a large, fancy blanket fort.

It had five sides, but only four were walled. Sheets hung over the top of the fort, functioning as a roof, and one hung down to half-cover the fifth side of the fort, which was left open and acting as a door.

The walls were supported by the sides of the shelving units, and the walls were primarily made of the shelves themselves. Just by looking at the fort, Riley could tell that Koda had not only used pieces from the shelving unit they were building, but also parts from the three other shelving units they had bought.

Riley peered inside the fort and noticed that there were furs and pillows on the floor -- ones that he was sure came from Koda's room.

When Riley looked back at Koda, he was still beaming, proud of his accomplishment.

"I thought you said you finished the shelves," Ms. Morgan pointed out. She was pinching the bridge of her nose, her expression strained.

"I did finish shelves," Koda said, gesturing to the fort. His smile didn't falter. 

"How is this shelves?" Ms. Morgan asked.

"Riley explain shelves to me," Koda told her, meeting her gaze easily. "He said shelves store important things."

"That's true," Ms. Morgan agreed. "But how is this supposed to store important things?"

Koda's smile grew, his eyes dancing. He stepped forward and held out one of his hands to Ms. Morgan, palm up in offering. He held his other hand out to Riley the same way. 

Riley had no idea what Koda was thinking, but he put his hand on top of Koda's. Next to him, Ms. Morgan hesitated and then did the same. 

Koda closed his fingers around their hands and tugged them forwards as he walked backwards towards the fort. He ducted in through the door and once Riley and Ms. Morgan had stepped inside the fort, he gently pulled them both downwards until all three of them were sitting on the furs.

"See?" Koda said. "Shelves store important things."

Riley felt his mouth fall open, both in shock and amazement. Koda had interpreted his explanation in a way he could never have imagined, and he had built something that could hold what he thought was important -- his friends.

"Oh, Koda," Ms. Morgan said, and in her eyes, Riley saw some of the same awe he felt.

"You like shelves?" Koda asked.

Riley smiled so wide his cheeks hurt. "Yeah, Koda, this is great."

Ms. Morgan didn't reply. She just stared at Koda with the same wide-eyed look on her face.

"Kendall like it?"

Koda's question seemed to snap her out of her daze. She shook her head as if to clear it and then said, "This is unexpected... but it's nice, Koda. It's very nice." She blinked quickly in a way that made Riley realize just how touched she was by Koda's actions.

Koda bowed his head at their compliments, his smile growing larger.

The three of them sat in the fort, enjoying the comfortable atmosphere it provided. Riley basked in the warm feelings Koda's gesture had evoked in him and knew that next to him, Ms. Morgan was savoring the same warmth.

Long minutes had passed when Riley turned to Ms. Morgan and, trying not to sound too hopeful, asked, "So are the shelves done?" 

"Well, this one is," Ms. Morgan said, her lips quirking upwards. "But I require shelves for the dino chargers."

Riley sighed, some of his earlier irritation returning. "Does this mean we have to go back to IKEA?" 

Ms. Morgan nodded, rueful. "I still need four new units."

Before Riley could resign himself to many more hours of interpreting terrible furniture instructions, Koda bumped Riley's side with his elbow. "I help," he promised, smiling. "I good at shelves."

"That's true," Riley said, his attention on Koda. Unlike him, Koda seemed excited about the prospect of building more shelves. He also seemed determined to support Riley through their construction. 

Riley took a deep breath and did his best to let go of his apprehensions. It was easier than he thought it would be. He appreciated Koda's support, and Koda's version of "shelves" still made him want to smile. With Koda by his side, it wasn't hard to stay positive.

Besides, if their second attempt at building shelves was as frustrating as their first, Riley figured that they could always build another blanket fort.


End file.
